Arthur Alan Kitze

KITZE, Arthur Alan, age 64, of Kettering Ohio, passed away Saturday, March 5, 2022. Art was born in Garden City Michigan to Arthur Lloyd Kitze and the late Sharon (Hahn) Kitze. A graduate of Hillsdale College in 1979, and Certified Public Accountant.

Art is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years Michelle, and sons Matthew and Stephen, father Arthur (Marilyn Pobanz), brother Kevin (Cheryl) and brother-in-law Dr. Daniel Roper (Kelly).

Art Kitze lived a meaningful life.

Born July 6, 1957, he was raised in a working-class community and schooled at a pro-business-owner college, Art ultimately found his philosophical home as a proponent of libertarianism and Austrian economics.

Art was well-suited to his career as a Certified Public Accountant. People were comfortable opening up to him, both clients and strangers alike. He always liked numbers and statistics. A baseball-loving kid that would recompute Major League Baseball batting averages and the number of pins needed in the 10th frame for his bowling team to close out the win, it was clear from an early age that Art’s knack for numbers would set him up for future success.

He could be crafty. While bowling in a youth league at Garden City's Garden Lanes he would purchase a bag of potato chips. He would offer them to opposing bowlers to slicken their hands – and their grip on the bowling ball!

Many people relied on him. Responsibility was learned early when Mom was stricken by debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. Cooking, cleaning, and shopping were some of the tasks he assumed under her watchful eye. While disliked at the time, these responsibilities contributed to his ability to lead a household and run a successful business.

Art enjoyed participating in sports. In his youth he could be found on the sandlot field or participating in one-on-one driveway basketball games. Art’s greatest passion, however, was found in long-distance running, the sport that ultimately earned him a college scholarship and his status as an All-American thinclad, the first at Hillsdale to do so that was not receiving an athletic scholarship.

Art will be missed tremendously by his family, especially by his wife Michelle and sons Matthew and Stephen. The backbone of his immediate family, Art’s calm, thoughtful presence will never be forgotten.

Art and Michelle met in the mid 80s while both were residing in the Lansing area. They shared a passion for exercise that continued until the day of Art’s shocking downturn. Many of Art’s happiest moments were at foot races and supporting Michelle at triathlons. A comfortable homebody, attending these competitions took him to many fabulous locations. He regaled others often about their triathlon trip to Nice, France.

Art was the first family member to attend college. At first, it was a struggle to adjust; rigorous academics and recovering from a stress fracture while competing on the varsity cross country team made Art’s first few months at Hillsdale a challenge. His academic performance, however, improved as the classes advanced. He took tremendous pride in his professor telling him he was the first student she taught that aced Advanced Accounting after scoring a C+ in Basic Accounting. That exemplified Art's attitude. Being called out or told he couldn't accomplish something only served to motivate him further. In every aspect of his life, Art strove for excellence and achieved notable success.

Art was the family intellectual. A voracious reader and lifelong learner, he digested tomes like Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action and deployed those concepts to politely challenge the long-held beliefs of those in his social sphere. Long live Art’s legacy of opening minds to new perspectives!

Especially endearing was Art's love of others’ success. His enthusiasm reinforced our feelings of accomplishment. Be it his immediate family or saving his client's hard-earned financial resources through savvy tax-planning advice, Art always took as much pleasure in others’ successes as they did.

As French author Guy de Maupassant once wrote, “It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living.” From friends on the cross country path to clients who passed through his office, Art Kitze lived a life that left those around him better off for having met him. We feel blessed to have called Art our family and our friend. May the memory of his life serve as an inspiration to us all. Meeting a man like Art makes life worth living.

A life celebrating visitation will be held 11AM-1PM on Saturday, March 19 with services starting at 1PM followed by refreshments and food in the fellowship room at First Baptist Church of Kettering, 3939 Swigart Rd, Beavercreek, OH 45440. The event will stream live on YouTube beginning at 1PM here: https://youtu.be/QQtUd2NEOJU. An additional gathering will be held in Michigan at a later date. In lieu of flowers, family encourages contributions may be mailed or taken to Key Bank, 18 W. Franklin St. Bellbrook, OH 45305 (check written to Key Bank with Art Kitze memorial fund in memo line) for a memorial fund in Art’s name to purchase a tree or memorial bench to be placed in Indian Riffle Park near pond, one of Art’s favorite places to run. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.routsong.com.